Housing for swamp dwellers

[ErinM31]

I was wondering what others use for species such as Ephebopus murinus that need higher humidity. Deli containers and now Sterilite boxes have worked well for maintaining the humidity but one of my juveniles temporarily escaped last night when I opened the lid to feed them. That would not happen before as they would always dive into their burrows at the slightest disturbance. I don't want to have to deliberately try to scare them when feeding but my current set-up involves unacceptable risk of escape or getting a leg caught. I love the little feeding windows on the Exo Terra terrariums that I use for more arid species and housed my E. murinus in these for a time but found that the substrate dried too quickly and they seem much more comfortable in the Sterilite boxes (more webbing and extensive burrows and will sit outside them when hungry whereas in the Exo Terra boxes they were ALWAYS underground in a minimal burrow).

Lol, quick question accompanied by lots of background story!

Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you!

 

[KezyGLA]

I tape up the undersides of the exo terra/KK enclosures. This stops the humidity from escaping.

 

[darkness975]

For maintaining humidity in a Kritter Keeper or similar type Enclosure I just wrap a portion of the ventilation in saran wrap.

Work wonders.

 

[cold blood]

They need damp sub, not humidity.

 

[ErinM31]

They need damp sub, not humidity.

But if there is a current of dry air, the substrate gets dry mighty fast!

 

[EulersK]

But if there is a current of dry air, the substrate gets dry mighty fast!

It dries out the top of the substrate mighty fast, yes. That doesn't matter very much to a burrowing species. So long as you keep the lower levels of substrate perpetually moist, then it doesn't matter if the surface is dry. I've got an H. gigas housed exactly the same way - I just water down the surface pretty heavily about once per week. The surface does indeed dry out within days, but the lower levels never do.

 

[Venom1080]

Swamp dwellers are a myth. They just like moist substrate and don't do well without it. Nothing extreme.